Jesus’ miracles
After the man’s healing with the withered hand, more people began to seek and follow Jesus (Mr3:3-5). Everyone who had eyewitnessed the miracle went and told their friends, and they told their friends, and the news spread like wildfire that there is power in the Son of God. Jesus performed 37 registered miracles in the gospels. He performed more miracles that were not registered because, as John said, there would not be room in any book to stain them (Jh21:25). Miracle number 10, the healing of this man’s hand pushed the crowd to new numbers. People from across regions in far places when they heard of what he did came to be healed, be set free, or witness what Christ was doing. Because the people who came needed a miracle their desperation caused them to throw themselves at Christ hoping to touch him. The woman with the issue of blood is an example of someone in desperate need of a miracle pressing through the crowd to be healed. And Zacheus the shorty who needed to encounter Jesus climbed a tree to see him because of the multitude.
Mark 3:7-12
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
Jesus needed his disciples to help with a big crowd like this whose needs were so great that they pressed on him, so he told them to have a boat ready for him. But they were just his disciples with no power, so they could not help with healing and the liberation of the people from spirits. This needed to change, the disciples needed to take on a different role in the ministry. Jesus calls his disciples and commissions them for this great task of helping him (Mk3:13-19). Of the disciples, two of them needed name changes. Simon who Jesus changed his surname to Peter. The Aramaic name Kephas and the Greek name Petros both mean “stone” or “rock.” Peter would become the leader of the disciples and later of the church (Mt16:18).
James and John, Jesus changed their last name to “Voice of Thunder”. It is believed that he changed their names because of their temperament. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem they ran into trouble with the people there. The people there refused to accommodate Jesus and his disciples for the night. James and John told Jesus that he wanted them to call on fire from heaven and burn those villagers (Luke 9:54). James and John’s response to the Samaritans reveals a fervency, impetuosity, and anger that could properly be called “thunderous”. John after walking with Jesus having a fervency spirit in anger, was changed to having a fervency spirit in Love. In his epistle, John mentions love 40 times (1Jh4:7).
Mark 3:3-5
And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Mark 3:13-19
And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Luke 9:54
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.